Problem: Simplify the following expression: $p = \dfrac{4n + 20}{-2n + 16}$ You can assume $n \neq 0$.
Find the greatest common factor of the numerator and denominator. The numerator can be factored: $4n + 20 = (2\cdot2 \cdot n) + (2\cdot2\cdot5)$ The denominator can be factored: $-2n + 16 = - (2 \cdot n) + (2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2)$ The greatest common factor of all the terms is $2$ Factoring out $2$ gives us: $p = \dfrac{(2)(2n + 10)}{(2)(-n + 8)}$ Dividing both the numerator and denominator by $2$ gives: $p = \dfrac{2n + 10}{-n + 8}$